The Fit List

Are you recovered yet from last weekend’s Illinois Marathon races? I hope so, ‘cause there are a lot of fun races coming up. Here’s your list:

Weekend of May 3-4:— Moonlight MarathonThis race is Saturday at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. There’s a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 6.55-mile race and a 5K. The races are run at night in the cemetery — the location of Lincoln’s Tomb. The half marathon, 6.55-mile race and 5K are timed events, but the marathon and marathon relay are prediction events. Runners choose their starting time after 6 p.m., with the goal of finishing as close as possible to midnight, but not after midnight. Watches, GPS devices and cell phones are not allowed.This new race follows the same format as Peoria’s Screaming Pumpkin event in the fall, and I’m looking forward to doing it with some of my Screaming Pumpkin relay teammates.Online registration is closed, but you can still enter from 4 to 6:30 p.m. today at packet pickup and from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the race. For more information about the races, go to http://triharderpromotions.com/moonlight-marathon/.

— Miles of HopeThis is a 5K run/walk on Saturday at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet. It’s a fundraiser for Type 1 diabetes research. Here’s a link for more information.

— Lake RunThis run is around Lake Bloomington on Saturday and is one of the Lake Run Club’s big events. There are four distances to choose from: a half marathon (new this year), a 12K, a 7K and a 3-mile walk.Click here for more information. Online registration is closed but you can register at packet pickup today or on race day.

— KW Red RallyThis is a 5K on Saturday to benefit the United Way of Champaign County. The race is in southwest Champaign, and it’s followed by a post-race party at Jupiter’s at the Crossing. Here’s a link for more information.

— Urbana Grand PrixThese bike races are Sunday at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana. Here’s the race flyer, and here’s a link for online registration. And here’s a Facebook page for updates. Online registration is closed but you can register the day of the races.

— Habitat for Humanity Pounding the Pavement 5K/10KThese 5K and 10K races are on Sunday on the Illinois State University campus. The race benefits the campus Habitat for Humanity chapter. Here’s a link for the race website.

— Tulip 5K for a CureThis race is Saturday in Bloomington. It raises money for pancreatic cancer research. Click here for more information.

— Dove DashThis is a 5K race on Saturday on the General Dacey Trail in Shelbyville. The race is organized by Lakeview College of Nursing Students and it benefits Dove Inc., which provides services for victims of domestic violence.Here’s a link to the race’s Facebook page, and here is a link for online registration.

— Tour de ExchangeThis bike ride is Saturday in Charleston. There are 10-mile and 25-mile routes. Click here for the ride brochure.

— Matthiessen Mountain MadnessThis is the first of the Illinois Homegrown Race Series of mountain bike races put on by the Peoria Area Mountain Bike Association. It’s Sunday at Matthiessen State Park in Oglesby. Here’s the race flyer and here’s the site for online registration.

Weekend of May 10-11:— Not Your Average Joe RaceThis is a 5-mile run, 5K run and 5K walk on Saturday, May 10, at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana. This race is organized by Human Kinetics and replaced the former Twin Cities Twosome race. The event was reconfigured and renamed in memory of Joe Seeley, a Human Kinetics employee who helped organize the Twin Cities Twosome and was also part of the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon race committee. He died of leukemia in 2012.The Not Your Average Joe Race benefits three charities: the Center for Women in Transition, the T.I.M.E.S. Center and the Crisis Nursery.For more information, go to www.notyouraveragejoerace.com.

— Kirby DerbyThis event includes a 10K run and a 5K run/walk. It’s on Saturday, May 10, at Forest Preserve Park in Monticello. There’s also a free kids race for children ages 10 and under.The race is the second of the Triple Crown series, which also includes the Allerton Trail Half Marathon and 10K (run the first weekend in April) and the Allerton Park Trail Run (coming up in late October).The Kirby Derby is raising money this year for a Wellness Trail, a walking path on the Kirby Medical Center campus that will be open to the public.For more information, go to https://kirbyhospital.org/kirby-derby/.

— Whitmore Park Spring ClassicThis Decatur Running Club race includes a half marathon and a 5-mile run on Saturday, May 10. It’s at Whitmore Park in Decatur, and the race is followed by a pancake breakfast. Participants get a coffee mug rather than a medal — much more useful.New this year: Runners can register to do the half marathon, then the 5-mile course immediately afterward. There are time limits, though — men must complete the total 18.1 miles within two and a half hours and women within three hours.Here’s a link for online registration and here’s a link to the race’s Facebook page.

— Run in a Dress for MSGet out your tutu, your hula skirt or your ugly bridesmaid’s dress. This 5K is on Saturday, May 10, in Teutopolis, and it’s a fundraiser for the National MS Society. Participants — male and female — are encouraged to run in dresses. In addition to the 5K run/walk, there’s a 1-mile family fun walk. You can register online through May 4, register by mail (the form is on the website) or register on race day.Here’s the race website for more information.

— 5K Grow & GoThis 5K is on Saturday, May 10, in Bloomington. It benefits the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom program. There’s also a kids’ quarter-mile “Cock-A-Doodle Dash,” and an open house with kids’ activities afterward. Click here for more information.

— Fat Ass 5KThis is a 5K and street festival on Saturday, May 10, in Springfield. The race route includes beer, corn dog, donut and ice cream stations, and the street party afterward includes a pig roast and live music. The event is a fundraiser for various charities. For more information, go to http://fatass5k.com/.

— Blue Chevy Trail ClassicThis trail run on Saturday, May 10, is at the Farmdale Reservoir in East Peoria. The distance is roughly a 10K. Here’s a web page with more information and a link for registration.

— Hercules ChallengeThis is a 5K and a 1-mile fun run on Saturday, May 10, in Mt. Zion. The race benefits Mt. Zion elementary schools. Here’s a link for online registration.

Weekend of May 17-18:— Buffalo Trace Trail RaceThis is a 5-mile race and 2-mile noncompetitive walk on Saturday, May 17, at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet. The race is on rolling grass trails through woods and open meadows. Enter by Monday and get the early registration discount. Here’s a link for more information and registration.

— Races For All PacesThese races are Saturday, May 17, in Mattoon. You can choose from: a half marathon; a 10K relay challenge, in which teams must come closets to their predicted finish time; a 10K; a 5K fun run/walk; a Run with Ray 5K, for kids 17 and under to run with former NFL player Ray McElroy; a 1-mile fun run/walk; a Toddler Trot (50 yards for kids 3 to 5); and a Diaper Dash (25 yards for kids 3 and under). Phew.For more information or to register, go to www.sarahbush.org/races.

— May Madness SprintThis is a sprint triathlon on Sunday, May 18, in Effingham. The .25-mile swim is at Lake Sara, followed by a 13-mile bike ride and a 5K run. Click here for race information.

— Run River City MarathonThis event on Sunday, May 18, in Peoria includes a marathon, half marathon (new this year, replacing a 25K distance race), marathon relay, 5K and kids mini marathon (the last 1.2 miles of the marathon course). For more information, go to www.runrivercity.com.

— North Normal Block Party 5KThis is a 5K race, 1-mile noncompetitive walk and 1/4-mile fun run for kids on Saturday, May 17, in Normal. It’s followed by a pancake and sausage breakfast, live music and a kids’ carnival. The race is sponsored by the Heartland Community Church and proceeds go to the Midwest Food Bank in Bloomington. Here’s a link for more information and registration.

— Lincoln Memorial Garden 8K Trail RaceThis is an 8K trail race on Saturday, May 17, at Lincoln Memorial Garden in Springfield. The race is limited to 250 participants and there is no race day registration. There’s also a kids’ fun run. Click here for more information and online registration.

— DMH Wellness Center 5K RunThis is a 5K run and 1-mile walk on Saturday, May 17, in Decatur. Here’s a link for more information.

— Black Partrigde ClassicThis race on Sunday, May 18, has been relocated from Black Partridge Park in Metamora to Wildlife Prairie Park in Hanna City, due to flood damage, and it’s been nicknamed the BP Wild Flood Scramble. The entry fees have all been discounted as well. Here’s a link for information on the races and to register.

Upcoming registration deadlines:— Howl at the MoonThis 8-hour ultramarathon is at Kennekuk Cove County Park on Saturday, Aug. 9. It’s run on a 3.29-mile loop in the park. It’s nearly full, but online registration was re-opened through Sunday or when the race is full. If you want in, enter now. Here’s a link for online registration. Info about the race is at www.kennekuk.com, under “Events/Results.”

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